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Mars 2018 Opposition

Every 2 years and about 50 days, the planet Mars appears opposite the Sun in our sky, shining brighter and appearing larger than usual. Some Mars oppositions are much closer than others, owing to the large eccentricity of the planet's orbit. The 2018 Opposition of Mars is the best apparition since August 2003, 15 years ago. With opposition on July 27 and closest approach on July 31, for much of the summer the disk of Mars will appear larger than that of Saturn, and for a time will even outshine Jupiter. Read all about it in the RASC Observer's Handbook 2018, in the article The Planets in 2018—Mars by Murray Paulson.

Mars will be larger than 24'' in diameter between July 23 and August 9, nearly as large as the 2003 opposition size of 25"; however, visual observing in the months leading up to opposition trains the eye and reveals the changing face of Mars as it moves from the Mars autumnal equinox on May 22 to the Mars winter solstice on October 16.